What could be going on with painful urination in ladies? –Not always a urinary tract infection

  Painful, burning urination is the most common problem in the urethra or external genital area (perineal area) for discomfort in urination! It can manifest in both men and women and is the main reason for a visit to the doctor. Although in most cases there is not necessarily a very serious problem, this symptom often triggers the patient to worry about anxiety and hides some organic pathology. This aspect is more common in ladies due to their physical characteristics.
  Common causes
  Painful urination, accompanied by a burning sensation is often a result of urinary tract infection, irritation or inflammatory reaction of the bladder, urethra, prostate, etc. Note that an infection is not the same as an inflammatory response. An infection implies a definite pathogenic microorganism, such as bacteria, virus, mycoplasma, etc., which often triggers an inflammatory response, while an inflammatory response can not only originate from an infection, but also from an allergy, a foreign body, or no cause can be found at all.
  In women, urinary tract infections are most prominent, such as acute bacterial cystitis; in men, the chance of getting a urinary tract infection is low, but an inflammatory response in the prostate or urethra can lead to severe painful urination. If you feel severe pain after urinating, the source is often the bladder.
  Other causes of painful urination
  In women, pain can be caused by such things as mycosis fungoides (perineal area), vaginitis or vulvovaginitis that spreads or irritates the urethra because of its proximity to the gynecological birth canal. Specialized cystitis, such as interstitial cystitis and radiation cystitis, although uncommon in the country, causing painful urination and associated burning pain is also encountered from time to time.
  In a few women, the painful urination is actually caused by urinary retention. In one case, a routine urine test with painful urination revealed elevated white blood cells, but the symptoms continued to worsen with anti-inflammatory drugs. After the doctor saw the patient, he found out that the infection was secondary to poor urinary function and urinary retention, and catheterization was performed. If the natural treatment was not explored, it was not effective. Other conditions and external factors that occur in both sexes include urethral strictures, bladder stones, specific bladder tumors, medications (e.g., medications for tumors can have side effects of bladder irritation), recent transurethral manipulation, kidney infections, kidney stones, or genital herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases, and even some hygiene products (soaps, perfumes, etc.).
  Professional doctors are not only concerned with problems in the urinary tract itself, but also with conditions outside the urinary tract. Pelvic and rectal pathologies are also possible factors, such as pelvic tumors, proctitis, rectal cancer, ovarian cancer, etc.
  Timing of doctor’s visit (when should I see a doctor?)
  In the above factors, it seems that most of the common causes are caused by some infections or inflammatory reactions, which do not necessarily require immediate treatment, but if a situation arises, you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
  1. persistent painful urination.
  2, discharge from the urethra or vagina.
  3, accompanied by hematuria.
  4, accompanied by fever.
  5. Pain in the back or side of the body.
  6.Discharge of stones.
  Determining the cause of the disease
  At the time of the visit, an experienced physician will generally determine the cause of urinary pain and burning by obtaining a history, appropriate physical examination, and urine specimen.
  At the time of the visit, experience is often indicated by the ability to take a medical history. The so-called experienced physician asks purposefully, starting with the most common possibilities. If there is no concise and typical cause, it will gradually go on, including various possible information, such as diabetes or immune deficiency. Sexual history is important for the determination of sexually transmitted diseases, and testing may also be performed for sexually transmitted diseases.
  Direct swabbing of the vaginal and urethral mucosa, although irritating to the organ, is sometimes the most direct form of sampling. Analysis of urine and/or swabs focuses on leukocytes, red blood cells, and culture. Elevated white blood cells often indicate a bacterial infection, and a culture of the urine will show the strain of bacteria causing the urinary tract infection and help the physician select the appropriate antibiotic. However, if the urine sample does not show clear signs of infection, additional tests for the bladder or prostate may be performed.
  When talking to your doctor, please be aware of the manner and means of treatment. Depending on the length of time and severity of the treatment, the doctor will take the order from non-invasive, minimally invasive to invasive, or from non-invasive to invasive. Examination of urine or secretion, ultrasound, etc. are non-invasive tests, while biopsy, cystoscopy, etc. are invasive ones. The treatment is not medicine if hot compresses and physiotherapy are available; no infusion of anti-inflammatory if medicine can be taken; surgical treatment or surgery should be considered as a last resort and only taken when there are very serious lesions, such as urethral strictures, urinary stones, pelvic tumors, etc.
  Warm tip: When you go to the doctor with painful urination, those who simply ask a few questions and then prescribe an infusion may be very typical of your condition and quite heavy, but it may also be completely unnecessary to do so.